Last weekend’s super moon was awe-inspiring, wasn’t it? Up here in Toronto, she looked a little bigger than usual but so much brighter. Golden. Gorgeous. In the southern hemisphere, my friend, photographer, psychic and all-round wise woman Laurie Anne King, took this photo from near her home in Australia. Magical, huh? (If you like her work, you can see more of her photography right here.)

I’ve long been fascinated by the moon. Years ago, I started charting how my cycle shifted with her phases. Living in a city centre with our disruptive 24-hour lights, often women aren’t able to attune to the moon but I think because of my conscious awareness of it – as well as our heavy black-out curtains in the bedroom – my body could. Gradually, I learned what week in my cycle and what phase of the moon was best for socializing (and which was decidedly NOT). I figured out when to start projects and when to just let things be. Where, in past, I would have been hard on myself for procrastinating, I learned that a shift in my energy would come, so to enjoy the rest instead.

There are many excellent resources for learning about women and the moon. One of my first teachers was holistic reproductive health practitioner Amy Sedgwick of Red Tent Sisters. Then I met yoga goddess Zahra Haji who even developed her own amazing moon charting and yoga practice (which she teaches) called Moon Goddess. Both were inspired by the work of Miranda Gray. Most recently, I’ve fallen head over heels for fellow moon-lovers Sherry Rothwell and Adrian Percy of Domestic Diva. And what follows here is an interview with Sherry, as they even time their newsletters with the moon cycles! I’ve asked Sherry for her insight, especially, into using feminine energy management and moon cycles to nurture our businesses (since we gals are all entrepreneuses here).

It’s a good, long one, so you might want to pour yourself some chilled raspberry leaf tea and lemon and settle in for a good chat. (Sherry is so moon-smart!)

Q. Why is it important for modern women to be aware of moon phases?

A. It is more relevant than ever for women to be consciously aware of the moon’s phases because there are so many elements of modern living that take us out of sync with them. Never before have we had to play so many roles as women: wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend, entrepreneur, CEO, maid, cook etc. We have a lot to do and a lot to be responsible for.

Modern women have more to do yet less support around our basic needs than ever. While I would personally love to live in community (like our ancestors) sharing the domestic work and having a built-in social life – for many of us that lifestyle feels out of reach or inaccessible within the blueprint of our industrialized society.

Q. So how can we maintain our energy and refuel when it feels like there isn’t enough time in the day to do it all?

A. Given all that we currently have on our plates as women and as entrepreneurs, we need greater awareness of our intrinsic feminine blueprint for energy management. By tapping consciously into the impact that the moon’s phases have on our energy fluctuations throughout the month, we can harness the power of the moon to create harmony in our lives and in our businesses.

In the days before electricity, we didn’t have to use our conscious awareness to be in harmony with the moon’s phases. The increasing and decreasing radiance of the moon would naturally call us into sync with the rising and falling energies of the month.

Unfortunately the very structure of modern life creates an artificial homogenization of our night and day, so that we act as if each day is simply the same as the one before. The world expects us to simply manage our time better when we feel out of sync.

However, the concept of time management does not fit with the unique biology of women. The way we perceive and work with time in industrialized societies does not serve the feminine (nor does it serve our communities and families).

Nature though, provides a perfect rhythm to manage our energy in a way that both calls us to slow down and to rise up in perfect harmony with the fluctuating levels of energy that we feel throughout the each month.

Each of the moon’s phases has a specific energy level and quality. As the light builds, so does our energy and as it recedes, our energy follows suit. We can fight it all we want, but the reality is there is no sense in resisting what is intrinsic to us. If we fight our femininity, we not only experience pain, but we also miss the great mysteries and gifts of being a woman.

On the other hand, when we plan our monthly tasks in sync with our own natural rhythms, not only are we more productive, but our lives naturally feel more harmonious. Visioning and rest are built into our feminine template (or patterning) because it is a necessity, not a luxury.

When we “push the river”, we struggle against the very nature of our femininity and the inherent blueprint we have for managing our energy, our life and our work.

In fact the more we resist the way we feel (when the body says no and the soul is uninspired) and we try to push ourselves to get things done in our business that are not in sync with where we are at in the cycle (or who we are) we end up more unproductive that ever – even if we never stop working!

We’ve all had that experience of trying to force ourselves to finish something (from the ego’s desire to get it done, rather than from a state of inspiration) and it ends up being a total waste of time or taking six times longer than it should!

When we “push the river”, we struggle against the very nature of our femininity and the inherent blueprint we have for managing our energy, our life and our work. If we follow our natural rhythms though – even if that means stopping – we are more productive overall (and healthier because we attend to both the body and soul’s need for rest and recuperation each month).

Our menstrual or bleeding time is a gift (of slowing down and clear vision) and our inspiration is a signpost that tells us – yes, in fact we are taking the right path or next step. Our intuition speaks through the language of the body and through our feelings about what is occurring in the moment; these are senses that serve a purpose and require our conscious attention.

Taking the time to reflect during our inherent times of increased vision during the new moon ensures that we take action in our business in ways that are in alignment with our values and our purpose. By taking the time slow down and evaluate what serves and what doesn’t, we actually make space for that which we are yet to manifest.

Q. What can we do to re-harmonize with the moon? And how can a woman tell if she’s out of sync?

A. The first step is simply becoming aware that the moon impacts our life rhythms, energy and productivity. We do this by taking notice of how our energy and mood fluctuates throughout the month.

Second, anything that attunes us to the natural forces can re-harmonize our bodies with nature’s cycles; for instance, going to bed with the sunset and arising with the sun, eating local food, sleeping in complete darkness during the naturally darkest times of the moon’s phases, taking moonlight walks at night, taking nature into our homes by eating food in the whole form that nature provides, walking barefoot on the earth…

The most telling sign that we are out of sync with the moon is that we bleed at times other than the new moon.

If you notice that the way your energy fluctuates is not in tune with the moon’s phases, that’s okay – just start where you are by tuning into your intuition and acting on tasks that resonate with your energy levels and your inspiration as they are right now.

Another way that we can tell that we are out of sync is when we feel burnt out, unsatisfied or when everything feels hard and there are obstacles at every turn. If you know without a doubt that you are on the right path and giving fully of your gifts in the world, yet your world consistently feels upside-down (or you have a breakdown approximately every 3-4 weeks and you want to throw it all out the window), then the next step is to sync with your natural rhythms so that you can go with the flow, rather than force your way through times of lower energy.

The construct of “time management” is just not reasonable for women due to the inherent physiological forces within our feminine physiology. We bleed, give birth and we are compelled to nurture others – none of these intrinsically feminine forces can be scheduled, nor can they be forced, managed or suppressed if we want to embrace who we are fully.

Childbirth, for example, is the perfect metaphor. Labours that are inhibited or managed by the external will of a caregiver or forced to proceed faster with induction drugs most often result in complications, failure to progress or a complete cessation of labour. Very similarly, if we ignore, suppress or force ourselves to act outside of our true nature, our business will be full of complications, progress very little or we will feel stifled and unable to give birth to the highest expression of ourselves or the true vision and mission of our business.

The alternative to time management for women is managing our energy. Attuning ourselves with the building and receding energies of the moon is one of the many ways that we can manage our energy.

Q. For business, what tasks are best done during which moon phases?

New Moon

This is the time of the month that we are naturally encouraged to become more introspective and introverted. Our energy is at its lowest, making now the best time to rest and rejuvenate. It is the perfect time to vision, set intentions and nurture our creative side. It is also the perfect time to just be with and make sacred space for deep conversation with the women in your life (masterminding).

Waxing Moon

During the waxing moon, our energies are starting to rise again, making the time ripe to start preparing the soil so it’s fertile for upcoming projects (restructuring, foundational work, putting structures and systems in place to support what we will be doing next). Now is the time to get out there and start planting seeds (ideas and new projects) and to communicate (meetings and planning).

Full Moon

The full moon is when our energy is at its peak. Now is the best time to push hard to accomplish that which we envisioned during the new moon. Give yourself permission to work hard and play hard (big project undertakings and development here). If you want to stay up until the wee hours of the morning and ride on the momentum, give yourself permission to flow with it, if you feel so inspired!

Waning Moon

This is the time when our energy begins to recede. It is time to start wrapping things up and finishing tasks that have been weighing on you (ie: invoicing, clearing or reorganizing clutter) so that your life, your home and your business feels spacious. This time of clearing is essential to make space for your new moon visions. You will be more easily able to slow down, relax and rejuvenate during the new moon because those annoying unfinished tasks will no longer be taking up space in your mind.

If you’d like a handy reference guide for the moon phases, click here.

Sherry Rothwell is the co founder of DomesticDiva.ca where she helps women reclaim domestic arts and traditional wisdom. Sherry is a holistic nutritionist, mother of two and mompreneur who embraces being a woman. Sherry loves sharing feminine mysteries and teaching healing arts through live events, teleseminars, e-courses and private coaching programs.

Want to be reminded as we transition in and out of each of the moon’s cycles?Sign up for the Domestic Diva newsletter so that we can send you a weekly notification by e-mail in service to helping you manage your energy and get in tune with your natural rhythms. www.DomesticDiva.ca

Love the chart and the inspiration. On full moons I practice a gazing meditation where I gaze at the moon without moving or blinking. It’s one of the most powerful experiences. The photo of the moon above really captures her aliveness and your chart is fantastic. I’m also printing it out.

This is so, so true. (Up until now I didn’t know why it was so, but I “felt it.”) Your wisdom has been duly noted. Thank you both!

I truly don’t “fit” into time frames — never have. (Maybe that’s why I felt compelled to post a photo of the full moon on my FB page today… that I took last week?!) This was a lovely, “illuminating” post! Thanks again.

I’ve been working by the moon for sometime now and use it to time my newsletters. It has been a wonderful response and has helped increase the rate that people open them as well as my ability to write them with appropriate themes.

Since I also work with birthing women, the moon often decides for me when I’ll be up all night to greet a new baby.

[…] Plan your business tasks in line with the supporting moon energies. Here is a great article on how to do that, with a handy printable chart that Carrie over at Pink Elephant Academy for Entrepreneurs put […]